They brought brushes, paints and canvas,
so that he could spend his sacred leisure
in the light, truth and happiness of painting
a surprised tiger and other wonders of nature.
When I extend my gaze beyond the vivid hues
of yellow, orange, red and tropical verdure
(I’ve looked and found hardly any blue),
I am thrilled by the way Rousseau captured
the movement of the storm, lightning and rain,
and a tiger buffeted by wind, full of fear or rapture.
Kim M. Russell, 28th July 2026
It’s Tuesday and, at the dVerse Poets Pub, Melissa is hosting Poetics ’Launch: light and truth of painting’, and intriguing title and an ekphrastic prompt.
She begins with a quote from Henri Rousseau: “Nothing makes me so happy as to observe nature and to paint what I see.”
Melissa has given us a brief biography of Rousseau, a Post-Impressionist painter who was self-taught and did not begin painting seriously until in his early forties. Although his art was not taken seriously at first, he influenced painters including Pablo Picasso and Jean Metzinger.
Melissa says that she recently began looking at more of his art after being inspired by a series of correspondence by Merril and Andrew, for which she has provided a link, as well as a selection of Rousseau’s paintings and his epitaph written by Guillaume Apollinaire and inscribed on his tombstone by sculptor Constantin Brâncusi:
“We salute you Gentle Rousseau you can hear us
Delaunay, his wife, Monsieur Queval and myself
Let our luggage pass duty free through the gates of heaven
We will bring you brushes, paints and canvas
That you may spend your sacred leisure in the
light and truth of painting
As you once did my portrait facing the stars, lion and the gypsy”
Today we are being inspired by this selection. Melissa asks us to choose one of the paintings and let it be our muse. Additionally, we should use the epitaph as a launch point to describe where the painting takes us. I chose ‘Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!)’.
writing in north norfolk 
Yes….he truly has a way with painting nature. I compare these trees, the direction they bend, the way the leaves point and the grasses lean….yes, he’s captured the movement of the storm! And then I look at the painting I chose, and see such a difference in the “directional” sway, leaning, standing of the trees. The comparison is incredible. I thanked Melissa for introducing me to this artist. I’m really drawn to his paintings. I LOVE the rabbit one….could see it in a child’s room!
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I often used Rousseau’s art when I was teaching.
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Wonderful contemplation, Kkm
much love
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Thank you, Gillena, Much love to you!
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I like that you contemplate the tiger, “full of fear or rapture.” I see that it could easily be either.
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